Commodore 64 set for comeback | Hacker News Reader

Commodore 64 set for comeback

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27 pointstechdog22 comments

Of course, this is a Commodore 64 in name only-- it bears little resemblance to the original machine.

Personally, I was more impressed by the "C-One" project (http://www.c64upgra.de/c-one/) which attempts to reproduce the C64 in an FPGA.

And, let's not forget Jeri Ellsworth's "C64 in a joystick": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeri_Ellsworth

What I'd really like to see is a hardware clone of the C64, that takes an external keyboard and plus into a standard monitor. With today's technology, this should be tiny and cheap-- hell, you could probably give it away in a box of corn flakes. Talk about "one laptop per child"....

> What I'd really like to see is a hardware clone of the C64, that takes an external keyboard and plus into a standard monitor

Connecting a PS2 keyboard is fairly simple - there's solder pads on the PCB for it:

http://www.colmer.info/c64/c64dtv.asp#Connecting_a_PS/2_keyb...

It's not too hard to make an S-Video connection, either. You can just connect it to a cheap flat panel TV - no need for monitor resolutions...

If you like the C-One, you might also like:

* http://www.minimig.net/ (Re-implementation of a classic Amiga using a Freescale 68k + FPGA + PIC or ARM microcontrollers

* http://www.fpgaarcade.com/ (Re-implementation of classic Arcade boards and home computers, including support for the Minimig FPGA cores, and an improved one that does AGA for A1200 etc. compatibility)

* http://www.natami.net/ (FPGA based implementation of an "improved" classic style Amiga - AGA + improvements combined with their "68050" FPGA based CPU core)

Minimig is for sale (and plans to build your own are also available) from a number of companies - I have one at home. The FPGA Arcade board is "right around the corner" (the first production run is underway). Natami is in the board bring-up phase (there's an interesting thread on their forum about it, as they're enabling feature by feature).

Makes me want to learn how to do FPGA based stuff myself. These boards create a great baseline to experiment on.

It's apparently this computer, rebranded:

http://www.cybernetman.com/en/products/zero-footprint-pc/zpc...

Thank you. I knew I'd seen that thing before.

No... That one is their VIC-20 ;-)

This is not a C64. It's an insult to its heritage.

It's not even beige ;-)

Now, seriously, it's a PC. A keyboard PC, but, still, a PC.

I have had a similar idea for a modern version of the C64. This one looks utterly uninspiring, however. It's just a big jumble of parts and features. It looks like a bit of a powerhouse compared to what the original C64 did. The configuration options look staggering (quad core, 4GB of RAM, optical drive, multiple SATA and PCI slots, serial, parallel, PS/2) and it will just run some junky commodity (maybe lightly customized) OS. To sum up what's wrong with it: http://www.commodoreusa.net/i//9100_rear-1.jpg

If I were building one, it would have solid-state storage, a few USB ports, WiFi, Bluetooth, HDMI out, audio in/out, and that's it, and for software it would have to run something Linux-based, but more in line with the old systems that booted to BASIC. Maybe a Lua prompt instead?

It's a rebranded, off the shelf PC targetted for Point Of Sale use from a company called Cybernet Manufacturing.

That would explain the RS-232 serial ports, parallel port and PS/2 ports. I remember seeing some other stock photos and was wondering why it had what appeared to be a Track2/Track3 Magnetic Stripe Reader.

I last had worked with developing for POS hardware about 5 years ago, and even then, USB receipt printers and barcode scanners were still very much fringe at the time. Apparently 5 years later they still are rare, but I guess that's to be expected considering the age of most POS suites.

It's a PC, with a terrible video card. Boooring!! Something that would be interesting like this would PPC hardware that would run AmigaOS or MorphOS. So long as it has a decent video card.

I wouldn't exactly say "boooooring". For us sentimental people who still remember their C64 fondly, it has certain value. I just hope that the price tag does not exceed that value ;)

Are they trying to capitalize on the epic name 'Commodore 64'? Commodore itself calls this new machine the 'Phoenix', but in their ad they do refer to the original C64. About the only thing the original has in common with the Phoenix is its form factor.

It looks nice and handy, but in my view it doesn't have anything that makes it stand apart from conventional PC's. This is in contrast to the original C64, which was kind of disruptive.

edit: typos

If it's durable, inexpensive and introduces thousands of children to programming then it's "64-ish" enough for me.

...the deciding factor will be the software, I can see this coupled with Ubuntu and Scratch as being an acceptable descendant; but running Windows and...whatever free and accessible development tools they provide...oh wait...

> If it's durable, inexpensive and introduces thousands of children to programming then it's "64-ish" enough for me.

Amen

Why do I need to buy a new Commodore 64 when my old one still works?

Honestly, the only upgrade I would want in a new Commodore 64 is the ability to play games immediately without having to wait for floppy disk load times. And I'm not talking about using emulators. I want the same software, same hardware, same peripherals, just no floppy disk waits.

It's hard not to have fond memories for my good old commodore 64... Wow, if I could have had this new version back then!

I just hope they release River Raid, Dig Dug, Spy Hunter, Impossible Mission, Pit Stop, Archon....oh the glory days.

Impossible Mission was the best! Unless you were trying to play it on the Atari 7800. :)

Was everyone else hoping for a 1 Mhz system with 64k of ram or something? Of course it's not a Commodore 64. However, I find the design enticing, and I could totally picture my kids laying down on the floor in front of the TV with one of these in front of them.

Some redditors seem to think this is a hoax: http://www.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/bhl3d/the_new_co...

My office mate and I were talking about old boxen yesterday. This morning, he gave me his old Commodore 64, in the box.

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